Taste is pretty true to style. A good dose of malt with toffee characteristics. Some citrus seems to be here as well...lemon. A light bit of toastiness on the finish appears, with the finish having somewhat of an assertive hop bitterness for style. All in all though, very refreshing and tasty.

Amber in color with very little head, just a collar at the end. Not a lot of smell for me. I had tried Coopers Sparkling Ale about a month ago and didn't care for it. So I'm drinking one now with the intention of reviewing it. Guess what? Apparently, it grew on me and I like it. It has a carbonation bite at the back of the tongue, as the "Sparkling" implies. It reminds me of a lager in both feel and drinkability.

Light gold color with tons or prickle. This development is not surprising since it is named "Sparkling Ale." Mildly fruity nose and smoe sweet malt in the nose as well. Plenty of grain and hops presence in the flavor and in the mouthfeel. Some sharpness to the flavor and a lingering taste on the back of the tongue that I just can't place and is a little bit "off." I can't identify right now. There is an alcohol like burn to the finish, aftertaste and mouthfeel. It is is unique, or at least uncommon for me. If that hidden flavor wasn't nagging at me so much and/or was absent from the beer I would say it was a very good light beer. The strange flavor really is dragging it down for me. I would drink it again however and would like to share it with some friends.

Pours a pale gold colour with billowing haze throughout and a marshmallowy head that sits atop it like cappuccino froth, thick and foamy and dense. Slow bead runs up through the haze. Looks nice.

Nose has a quite thick POW smell with a light sweetness, hints of honey and treacle and maybe a slightly insipid apple juice character. Smell is decent, but not great, a little too Pride of Ringworm for me.

Taste is quite muddy, with malt being conspicuously absent from the flavours. A slight grain character but mostly a long, bitter POR flavour that leaves quite an alkaline hang with a very mild spice as well. Perhaps a hint of pepper without the spice - just the flavour. Very gritty, yeasty flavour, although without that bread yeast character so it's tolerable. Quite clean for most of the palate but finish is a bit dirty.

Mouthfeel is a bit flat, but feels slick. Unusual, really, given the sediment and the carbonation, but it goes down pretty smoothly.

Overall it does suffer from the hop usage, but it tastes very natural with an organic bitterness, and a distinct lack of adjunct sweetness. Fairly smooth and drinkable, if not delectable.

An imposing 750ml bottle with a metallic label. The label has a date of B/Best- 23-02-09. With a date like this I am assuming it is a before best date, but the price was only like $3NZD so a worthy gamble. I have enjoyed the other beer in the brand so this was a done deal.

Appearance- A deep yellow body with an excessive amount of carbonation, leading to a satisfying hiss when uncapping the bottle. A limited amount of head retention and a little haziness for the bottle sediments on the first pour. The 2nd and last glass yield an even cloudier brew even with decanting, inherit with trying to pour from a large bottle.

Smell- A moderate dose of hops with a bit of yeast nose. The hops are the familiar style to typical ones you would expect in an English Pale Ales. The yeast is just the result for the bottle conditioning. There is a slight wiff of oxidation/cardboard packaging, but that I assume is from its slight overdue age.

Taste- A moderate hoppiness, stronger than most English Pale Ales with a pounced bitterness. There is a solid light malt base to counter the hopping. The yeast is there to counter the malt and hops. In fact the complexity of the brew comes from this tug of war between the EPA and the bottle conditioning that makes this beer interesting and gives it a unique character beyond the other bottle conditioned ales from England. Quite a good showing.

Mouthfeel- A slightly drying finish with a bitter contribution from the hopping and the yeast. The carbonation helps lighten the mouthfeel and reduces the slickness feel.

Drinkability- This beer is quite exceptional. That being said I would go out of my way to find this beer. Even with a questionable date, it has been kept fresher from the cold storage at the store and the nature of bottle conditioning. It was a treat and really hit the spot. Although its not a typical bottle conditioned English Pale Ale, it is a refreshing change for those fans of the style.

A quite distinctive 12.7 oz. brown bottle shows a layer of yeast sediment when held to the light. Bottle conditioning? A good sign! The label confirms things, and suggests swirling the bottle and pouring the yeast into the beer, which is very much my style. B-vitamins are all the rage.

Poured into a pint glass, the beer shows a moderately clear golden hue with a finger of white foam resting atop. The head fades a little too quickly, though, and fails also to hold on to the sides of the glass, leaving no lace behind; this could have more to do with a too-cold glass, though.

Some grassy, herbal hop notes waft into the nose, with a slight hint of green apple skin intermingling.

Moderately light in body, with a moderate and slightly tingly carbonation. Mildly sweet, toasty malt notes show up front before meeting up with more hop notes that match those in the nose, toying around with some faintly spicy, pepper phenolic notes. Finishes with a mildly dry, slight bitter hop flourish.

Quite well-balanced and very easily drinkable, with each sip calling for the next. The bottle conditioning adds just enough carbonation and a nice overall character to the beer, only helping this otherwise simple, session-esque ale remain interesting.

A: Pours a rather hazy, blonde yellowish colour. Disturbing the settled yeast added a good amount of sediment to the pour. Fortunately, I don't mind the yeasty flavours. A rather short head tops it, but it was a little chilly to begin with, so that isn't a surprise.

T: Modest hop bitterness, riding on a grainy malt flavour. Some citrus rind, and a little touch of breadiness.

M: The mouthfeel is perhaps the best element of this beer. The carbonation is spot on, very assertive and crisp feeling. It makes it incredibly enjoyable and easy to drink, and the somewhat mellow flavours help keep it that way.

This is a light, but flavourful, characterful, and somewhat complex ale that combines light refreshing qualities with solid character.

Somewhat dark gold/pale amber, a bit cloudy, it has a medium white head that steadily thins to a wispy head and ring. It leaves a tiny bit of lace.

The aroma is mostly grain, piney hops, and yeast, with hints of citrus and fruit.

The taste is light but characterful and complex with plenty of grain, citrus, hints of bubblegum and fruit (apple and pear), the latter being stronger in the finish, which is mostly strong, toasted grain with some pine. There is a noticeable hints of alcohol. Light sweetness is nicely balanced with light hoppy bitterness and a leafy-spicey bite.The body is light, crisp, and somewhat fizzy yet full.

Slightly hazy amber pour with nice head that slowly fades.
Citrus and floral aromas up front, before some solid bready malts made their entrance. Smells a bit stale, and I can't say I'm a fan of the coarse metallic Pride of Ringwood hop aroma.
Flavours are less satisfactory, with non-descript light malt followed by a sharp, slightly hoppy, bitterness. Again, I'm not that much of a fan of the metallic POR bitterness.
Good body, and the high carbonation works well with the sharp bitterness to create a refreshing dry finish.

Pours a deep reddish/orangish amber colour with a reasonably thick (for an ale) and frothy head. You can notice the sediment if you stare hard enough.

Smells a mostly yeasty bready smell. Perhaps a very very slight hint of honey.

A very yeasty taste, especially towards the end if the sediment has sunk to the bottom. Noticeable hops bitterness but not overly hoppy. There is a sourness/sweetness similar to what you get with rye but otherwise no other rye flavours. Not as complex as their Vintage can be but full flavoured and enjoyable all the less.

Mouthfeel is full smooth and creamy and certainly not as carbonated as the name may suggest for some. Just enough to provide refreshment and certainly not enough to get in the way of the flavours.

Highly drinkable, though not the most complex and subtle flavours it is full flavoured, I would describe it as a hearty beer. It compliments most savoury meals and provides a good dry refreshment.

This is my every day beer of choice (keeping in mind it is relatively well priced and easy to find where I am)

Deep gold in colour with a slight haze. A fairly hard pour only generated a slim off-white head. What head there is fades rather fast to a thin ring.

A light caramel aroma of malt with just a thin edge of flowery hops. Not a very big aroma, certainly has an english lean though.

Caramel/toffee takes the lead in the taste department. It has a fairly pleasant sweetness, not overdone at all. Finish is fairly dry and herbal. Has a certain balance. Taste stands out as a strong point for this beer.

Fairly light, but it has a certain slickness to the body that fills it our. Carbonation is subtle but more than adequate.

Not a bad brew, but doesn't advertise itself well, it had a fairly dull look and smell.

Tastes sort of like sugar cane.. or really sweet n low. Very dry kind of sweetness that would go well with tea. This beer screams "different" compared to the almost 100% American craft beers I'm used to drinking. Watery, but in a good beer-like refreshing way. A very authentic brew, unlike a lot of American craft beer that seems to be pumping out hopped up beer soda.

Wish I knew about the bottle conditioning beforehand so I wouldn't be eating hop junk but oh well. Definitely a nice mix up to my usual lineup.

375mL bottle. Pours a hazy dark gold with a large, sticky white head. Some sediment. Grainy, slightly floral aromas with a bit of bitterness. Somewhat faint all around. Taste is a bit of lemon with sweet malts and a drier hoppy finish. Good carbonation with a light-medium body.

Poured a hazy light orange with an off-white head that disappeared quickly. No lacing. The sixer tipped over on the ride home (a violent brake squealer -- Careful, there's a beverage here!), and I noticed that in the fridge, the yeast was suspended in the brew along with some bubbles. Since it was already agitated and FUBAR, I just dumped all of it in the glass.

Some malt aromas, but some yeast and bitter citrus rind aromas as well.

Taste is not what I expected. Much drier and sharp. Alcohol presence and a light tart flavor reminds me of hard cider that has gone past it's prime -- the sugars are gone. Yeasty flavors combined with some toasted, slightly bitter grain. Light bitter finish that turns to a very noticeable grassy tartness as the palate clears.

Bunch of carbonation in this one keeps with the crisp tone of flavor and the overall drinkability. This will be great summer grilling beer. I got the 6 instead of the single, and need another round tonight to see how I like it. So far, first impressions make this worth trying and buying again. If you are into deep flavored, sweet-sided , fruity ales, don't go here.

One of the best session beers around! All the attributes of a great beer; cloudy solid orange/copper with a tight head. Not an overly generous nose but enough there hop-wise to keep it interesting, a bit of lemon and yeastiness. Smooth and unobtrusive. Not a show-stopper but just a great beer for any situation. Even better on tap of course.

A: Brownish/ orange amber.. Little amount of foam on top. Lot's of sediment in the glass. -hmmm.... (Been drinking this one for a little bit, sediment has settled to the bottom of the glass, dark black cloud.. Minus points...)

S: Sour, tart, slightly fruity... cherries maybe?

T:refreshing and slightly fruity.. Not a lot of flavor.. Slightly watery. Reminds me of something, but I am not sure what.. Maybe a fruit cider..

M: A little watery.. Not much to tell about..

D: Easy drinking and refreshing, but not anything I would get regularly. There is almost a little spice in the finish, and I am not sure if it's a good thing

Pours a cloudy orangish colored body, with some non-moving bubbles, frozen in place it seems. Has some head, diminshing. Has a very malty aroma, not hoppy or very ale-ish. Malty & lagerish, clean taste. Not very much taste, plain.

Pretty easy drinking beer, but not much of a beer lovers delight. Overly carbonated, not a bit of lacing and a soapy head. Musky scent, but nothing as horrifying as Heineken, tastes decent..cannot describe the flavors, just quite ordinary. Not bad but not something I will reach for in the future.

Beer pours well with small head. Smells good. Good end of week beer. First beer goes down well, but subsequent beers go down smooth. Great start to a good night. My favorite beer at Outback Steakhouse - good compliment to steak. Sediment at bottom of bottle.